Classiest arrest to date

The ability to automatically draw attention to issues just by showing up on a red carpet is something most celebrities probably take for granted.

And I have to admit, I always counted George Clooney among those flighty celebrities who flock to issues that tug at their empathy, all while avoiding getting their hands dirtier than is required to throw an A-list fundraiser.

But last Friday, Clooney and his father, along with several other public figures, were arrested outside of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Their arrest was apparently planned to raise awareness in connection to a protest of the actions of the Sudanese government, which has allegedly committed war crimes against its people.

To hear that Clooney was willing to become enveloped in a cause is heartening, regardless of his effectiveness or true understanding of the issue.

Clooney has done much more than just be arrested for the cause. In fact, he has made six trips to Sudan and spent most of last week testifying before Congress and meeting with President Barack Obama.

Social issues tend to trend through America like slap bracelets or the George Foreman Grill.

KONY 2012 is a perfect example. Arguably, so was Occupy. Sudanese issues have had their time to trend, as well. I remember organizations in high school that sold T-shirts that were all the rage for about two weeks.

If you look hard enough, you can find something wrong with just about any social issue, including Clooney’s.

But is it more important to do something, or to point out all the faults in what is
being done?

Most important, I think, is to try to help people in the
first place.

Here’s the real question: Is the net change in the world positive? Maybe our aid could have been more efficient or been done in less corrupt fashion. But you will never be able to achieve humanitarian perfection. Demanding it of every organization or effort will ultimately do more harm to the people who need the help.

I think, most of the time, people have good intentions. And most of the time, those good intentions lead to that net positive change we need to look for.

Too often we get caught up in the “what if” questions about how good of a job we did. Of course it is important to constantly self-evaluate to make sure our humanitarian efforts improve. But it is much more important not to let those questions keep us from trying in the first place.

I have much more respect for those people who feel passionate about an issue and do something about it, even if they fail to do an amazing job, than I do for the people who criticize them for their work yet never do any themselves.

Because, as Clooney found out firsthand, no good deed goes unpunished.

­— drlreed@indiana.edu